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Biography

Evangeline was a New Orleans-based band composed, at its most popular point, of singer Kathleen Steiffel, bass guitarist/washboardist Sharon Leger, keyboardist/accordionist Beth McKee, lead guitarist Rhonda Lohmeyer, fiddler/mandolinist Nancy Buchan, and drummer Dudley Fruge.[1][2] The band entered a talent competition called Jazz Search in 1988, followed by the Marlboro Talent Roundup and the True Value Country Music Showdown. They were eventually discovered by singer Jimmy Buffett, who signed them to Margaritaville Records, his personal subsidiary of MCA Records.[2]

Evangeline released its self-titled debut album in 1992, under the executive production of Buffett.[3] Although this album produced no chart singles in the US, "If I Had a Heart" peaked at No. 81 on the RPM Country Tracks charts in Canada. Fruge and Buchan left the group before the release of their second album, 1994's French Quarter Moon. This album produced their first US chart single in "Let's Go Spend Your Money Honey", a No. 70 on the Billboard country charts. Also included on this album was the song "She's a Wild One", which later became a Number One hit in 1994 for Faith Hill under the title "Wild One".[4] A third album, Louisiana Aye Yi Yi, recorded in 1990 when Evangeline was composed of Rhonda Lohmeyer, Sharon Leger and Leslie Doyle, was issued in 1996. That final recording featured more Zydeco and Cajun songs than their first two albums, including tunes written by Rockin' Sidney (Sidney Simien), D. L. Menard, and several traditional Cajun songs.